Reid’s paradox brings up an absurdity in Locke’s memory theory which the theory can’t simply ignore.
Without some circumventing stipulation of Locke’s theory or an amendment to it, the memory theory of personal identity seems to fail.
However, memory theorist H.P. Grice offers an amendment to Locke’s theory which recognizes and avoids Reid’s counterexample. In his essay Personal Identity, Grice proposes the introduction of a new term, a total temporary state (t.t.s.), which he states is, “composed of all the experiences any one person is having at a given time” (Grice), to fix the problem of transitivity. One’s personal identity is composed of a series of total temporary states which belong to the one and the same self, or person. Grice’s proposed application of his term total temporary state to patch the issue of transitivity raised by Reid’s paradox follows: In a series of total temporary states belonging to one person, every t.t.s which is a member of that series will contain as an element a memory of some experience which is an element in the temporally preceding member of the series; in a series of total temporary states not belonging to one person, this will not be the case. (Grice) What Grice proposes is that each total temporary state of a single self or person contains some element, a remembered experience or impression, shared by the t.t.s. preceding it in time also belonging to that person, explicitly stating that this will not be true of total temporary states of different people. Evaluating the Response Most will find Perry’s claim against Locke’s memory theory a logical and true statement; that is that simply because one cannot remember some experience does not mean that it was not oneself who experienced it. Most people would be unwilling to believe that, as Locke suggests, they do not share a personal identity with themselves as toddlers simply because they cannot remember the experience of toddlerhood. The primary objection deals with Locke’s assertion that memory is a necessary condition for personal identity, and Reid’s paradox proves that this objection is based on sound logic. Locke’s theory cannot conjure a worthwhile response to Reid’s paradox without amendment. Grice’s response is the ideal solution because it preserves the original stipulations of Locke’s theory that memory is both a necessary and sufficient condition of personal identity while amending those stipulations to account for its transitive nature. Memory is necessary only insofar as the memory of a particular experience is contained within at least one total temporary state in the stream of t.t.s.’s belonging to a particular person. This stipulation successfully satisfies critics who question whether or not forgetting an experience inherently means one did not have that experience. This completely avoids the problem of Reid’s paradox by suggesting that the total temporary state of the officer contains in it some element (memory) also contained within the t.t.s. of the soldier who took the standard, and that the t.t.s. of that soldier contains in it some element (memory) also contained within the t.t.s. of the boy who was flogged, and that this is sufficient to say that this series of total temporary states belongs to one person. Grice is explicitly stating that if A is equal to B, and B is equal to C, A is equal to C, or, in terms similar to his, if t.t.s-general is equal to t.t.s.-soldier, and t.t.s.-soldier is equal to t.t.s-boy, then t.t.s.-general is equal to t.t.s.-boy. This argument is as sound as an argument can be, and is an adequate response to Reid. Grice’s amendment is also brilliant in that it clarifies that memory is sufficient for personal identity only insofar as the total temporary states in a stream share some transitive element. He stipulates that the transitivity of total temporary states will not hold true if the t.t.s.’s in question do not belong to the same person. This and his assertion that, “one can only remember one’s own experiences” (Grice), protects the memory theory from critics who cite the false memory effect as a counterexample to Locke’s theory. Grice is right to conclude that the illusion of having experienced is not equivalent with actually having experienced. His explicit statement of this further adds to his response’s credibility. Though Grice’s response is sound, it still fails to provide an adequate definition for personal identity. His amendment assesses personal identity in a Humean fashion, concluding that it is more like a bundle of interconnecting experiences and impressions than it is an independent substance. However, because Grice’s amendment holds soundly against Reid’s paradox, one must conclude that his response to the transitive objection is adequate and acceptable. References Grice, H.P. "Personal Identity." Perry, John. Personal Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 73-95. Locke, John. "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding." Perry, John. Personal Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 33-52. Perry, John. "Personal Identity, Memory, and the Problem of Circularity." Perry, John. Personal Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 136-155. Reid, Thomas. "Of Mr. Locke's Account of Our Personal Identity." Perry, John. Personal Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 113-118.
Without some circumventing stipulation of Locke’s theory or an amendment to it, the memory theory of personal identity seems to fail.
However, memory theorist H.P. Grice offers an amendment to Locke’s theory which recognizes and avoids Reid’s counterexample. In his essay Personal Identity, Grice proposes the introduction of a new term, a total temporary state (t.t.s.), which he states is, “composed of all the experiences any one person is having at a given time” (Grice), to fix the problem of transitivity. One’s personal identity is composed of a series of total temporary states which belong to the one and the same self, or person. Grice’s proposed application of his term total temporary state to patch the issue of transitivity raised by Reid’s paradox follows: In a series of total temporary states belonging to one person, every t.t.s which is a member of that series will contain as an element a memory of some experience which is an element in the temporally preceding member of the series; in a series of total temporary states not belonging to one person, this will not be the case. (Grice) What Grice proposes is that each total temporary state of a single self or person contains some element, a remembered experience or impression, shared by the t.t.s. preceding it in time also belonging to that person, explicitly stating that this will not be true of total temporary states of different people. Evaluating the Response Most will find Perry’s claim against Locke’s memory theory a logical and true statement; that is that simply because one cannot remember some experience does not mean that it was not oneself who experienced it. Most people would be unwilling to believe that, as Locke suggests, they do not share a personal identity with themselves as toddlers simply because they cannot remember the experience of toddlerhood. The primary objection deals with Locke’s assertion that memory is a necessary condition for personal identity, and Reid’s paradox proves that this objection is based on sound logic. Locke’s theory cannot conjure a worthwhile response to Reid’s paradox without amendment. Grice’s response is the ideal solution because it preserves the original stipulations of Locke’s theory that memory is both a necessary and sufficient condition of personal identity while amending those stipulations to account for its transitive nature. Memory is necessary only insofar as the memory of a particular experience is contained within at least one total temporary state in the stream of t.t.s.’s belonging to a particular person. This stipulation successfully satisfies critics who question whether or not forgetting an experience inherently means one did not have that experience. This completely avoids the problem of Reid’s paradox by suggesting that the total temporary state of the officer contains in it some element (memory) also contained within the t.t.s. of the soldier who took the standard, and that the t.t.s. of that soldier contains in it some element (memory) also contained within the t.t.s. of the boy who was flogged, and that this is sufficient to say that this series of total temporary states belongs to one person. Grice is explicitly stating that if A is equal to B, and B is equal to C, A is equal to C, or, in terms similar to his, if t.t.s-general is equal to t.t.s.-soldier, and t.t.s.-soldier is equal to t.t.s-boy, then t.t.s.-general is equal to t.t.s.-boy. This argument is as sound as an argument can be, and is an adequate response to Reid. Grice’s amendment is also brilliant in that it clarifies that memory is sufficient for personal identity only insofar as the total temporary states in a stream share some transitive element. He stipulates that the transitivity of total temporary states will not hold true if the t.t.s.’s in question do not belong to the same person. This and his assertion that, “one can only remember one’s own experiences” (Grice), protects the memory theory from critics who cite the false memory effect as a counterexample to Locke’s theory. Grice is right to conclude that the illusion of having experienced is not equivalent with actually having experienced. His explicit statement of this further adds to his response’s credibility. Though Grice’s response is sound, it still fails to provide an adequate definition for personal identity. His amendment assesses personal identity in a Humean fashion, concluding that it is more like a bundle of interconnecting experiences and impressions than it is an independent substance. However, because Grice’s amendment holds soundly against Reid’s paradox, one must conclude that his response to the transitive objection is adequate and acceptable. References Grice, H.P. "Personal Identity." Perry, John. Personal Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 73-95. Locke, John. "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding." Perry, John. Personal Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 33-52. Perry, John. "Personal Identity, Memory, and the Problem of Circularity." Perry, John. Personal Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 136-155. Reid, Thomas. "Of Mr. Locke's Account of Our Personal Identity." Perry, John. Personal Identity. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008. 113-118.
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